Syracuse defeats LSU 80-57 in ACC/SEC challenge
Following a Mwani Wilkinson air-balled corner three attempt, Justin Taylor grabbed the defensive rebound and pushed it down the court to Judah Mintz. Mintz drove on the break, going stride-for-stride with Wilkinson.
Mintz leaped along the right side of the paint and posterized Wilkinson through the foul for the and-1 play.
With less than a minute remaining in the first-half, the emphatic jam gave Mintz 17 points and Syracuse a 5-point lead at the break. The stellar dunk in the first half along with a game-leading and career high 33 points from Mintz led Syracuse(5-2) to a 80-57 victory over LSU(4-3) in the second ever meeting between the universities and first apart of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Throughout the game, LSU’s shooting struggles with Syracuse’s star power resulted in the win. However, SU got a significant contribution from its big man.
Naheem Mcleod started the game hot, contributing on both sides of the floor. Through the first eight minutes, he totaled six points while grabbing four rebounds. Defensively, he blocked two shots, using his 7-foot frame to deter LSU’s big men.
Out of the second media timeout, the Orange and Tigers played almost entirely substitution filled lineups. LSU’s bench pieces sparked a 5-0 run to turn a two-point deficit into a three-point lead. Syracuse’s bench answered with a game-tying three from Chris Bell.
Where the Orange struggled was on the boards. As Mcleod exited the game with just under 13 minutes remaining in the half, the Tigers began to dominate the rebounding competition. At the half, the Tigers held a 26-20 rebounding lead.
Syracuse made up the difference in the second half, grabbing 6 more rebounds than the Tigers.
When Mcleod reentered the game, LSU’s leading scorer Will Baker struggled offensively. Entering Tuesday’s contest, Baker was LSU’s leading scorer, averaging 16.3 points per game. Mcleod forced Baker into a trap under the basket, resulting in a shot clock violation.
Baker’s struggles held the Tigers down early on, allowing SU to grab a lead at the half. Inefficient shooting plagued the Tigers offense. At the break, LSU was just 12/35 from the field and shot just 8% from behind-the-arc. The Tigers’ second leading scorer Jordan Wright also struggled, going 2/8 in the half.
"Naheem did a really good job of staying in front of him and not giving him angles," head coach Adrian Autry said after the game.
Baker finished the night with just three points, his lowest total of the season on 20% shooting.
When the starting lineup reentered the game in full with five minutes remaining in the half, Judah Mintz went on a significant run, driving into the paint forcing fouls. Mintz totaled 10 free throws at the half and led SU with 17 points.
"This is the best I've seen in his two years," Autry said. "This was by far his best game. He kept us in it in the first half, getting to the foul line, staying aggressive."
Syracuse started the second half just as it left the first. On the first shot of the half, Mintz drove for an and-1. The following possession he did the same, converting on both free throws. He then hit a three, creating his own 9-0 run to begin the half.
"Just not letting up," Mintz said after the game. "That was a big point of emphasis for us. Just keeping our foot on the gas."
Mintz’s work from the charity stripe was impressive on the night. His 13-15 from the free throw line along with his strong offensive drives resulted in a career high 33 point effort from the sophomore.
The free throw line advantage made a great difference in Syracuse’s favor as it got to the line 13 more times than the Tigers.
"This was our best team victory we've had so far," Autry said.
LSU did not hit its first three-pointer of the second half until over five minutes into the half. Wright knocked down the shot, but Syracuse once again answered. Bell attempted three three-point attempts and knocked down all three giving SU a 16-point lead. He would finish the game with 20 points, off of 6/10 shooting from behind-the-arc.
As the Tigers continued their shooting woes, SU began to show off on what was an impressive win. Quadir Copeland delivered a behind-the-back pass to Maliq Brown cutting into the lane for a reverse layup.
As time winded down, SU continued to pour it on the Tigers. Mintz finished with a career high on arguably his best performance in a Syracuse uniform. While using his speed to get to the rim and draw fouls, he also converted on the free throws and hit his limited three point attempts. After returning to Syracuse rather than staying eligible for the NBA draft, Mintz has shown an impressive ability to score for the team while facilitating at a high level.
After two disappointing losses at the Allstate Maui Invitational to Tennessee and Gonzaga, the 2z-point win was an impressive and promising one considering the road ahead for the Orange. SU next hits the road to face Virginia on Saturday.
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